Malcolm Grant confessed to reporters Tuesday that he had a vivid dream recently in which the University of Miami upset No. 8 North Carolina at BankUnited Center, fans stormed the court, and he jumped on the back of teammate Reggie Johnson to celebrate.

For 31 minutes Wednesday night, it appeared his dream was coming true. The Hurricanes had led most of the night and were tied at 53 with the Tar Heels after a three-pointer by Trey McKinney Jones that ejected the boisterous crowd of 7,071 fans from their seats.

But North Carolina went on a run fueled by three-point daggers from Harrison Barnes and Reggie Bullock, UM turned the ball over when it mattered most, and the Tar Heels escaped with a 73-64 victory.

Barnes, who keyed the pivotal 14-5 run, finished with a game-high 23 points, and John Henson added 14 for the Tar Heels. Durand Scott led UM with 15 points. Kenny Kadji scored 13 points, and McKinney Jones and Reggie Johnson kicked in 11 apiece. Starting point guard Shane Larkin played only 11 minutes and was held scoreless, and Malcolm Grant continued on his shooting slump, going 1 for 6 for three points.

Asked if he thought the Canes blew a golden opportunity, Johnson said: “Anytime you lose, it’s a missed opportunity. We just came up short in the end. Didn’t take care of the ball, had six turnovers in seven possessions. Credit to Carolina.”

Added UM coach Jim Larranaga: “I thought the first half and a portion of the second half we did a reasonably good job, but they outplayed us at that critical time. Anytime you turn the ball over against them they turn it into points.”

The nationally-televised game attracted he biggest home crowd since 7,189 showed up for a Virginia Tech game Jan. 31, 2010. Among the familiar faces sitting courtside were UM alumni and NFL stars Jimmy Graham and Andre Johnson. Graham played basketball for the Canes before switching to football.

The fans got their money’s worth, and then some. At least one quarter of the crowd was wearing Carolina blue and they probably didn’t figure UM had much of a chance.

The Hurricanes (15-9, 6-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) were 2-17 against the Tar Heels (22-4, 9-2) heading into Wednesday’s game, and had lost by 17 in their first meeting this season Jan. 10 in Chapel Hill. The last time the Canes had beaten the Tar Heels was Jan.14, 2006 on the road, and their last home win over North Carolina was nine years ago.

UM knocked off then-No. 7 Duke on the road Feb. 5, so a win over Carolina in the same season would have been a huge résumé-builder for the bubble-riding Hurricanes. The last time UM beat two top-10 teams in the same season was 1998-99.

UM ranks last in the ACC in attendance, and Larranaga aims to change that. On Monday night, the coach and several of his players (along with UM women’s coach Katie Meier and her players) canvassed the campus handing out free chicken wings and pizza to personally invite students to the game. Apparently, they listened.

The entire east side of the arena was a sea of orange, and — hoping for ESPN airtime — many of the students waved homemade posters and cardboard cutouts of Larranaga, UM players, and even president Donna Shalala. One of the posters was addressed to ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi, and pleaded UM’s case for an NCAA Tournament berth.

“We want students to realize that school spirit is a big part of the college experience, and there is no more exciting evening than [Wednesday night], national TV, against a highly-respected program,” the coach said.

The Hurricanes led by as many as nine with 4:48 to go in the first half, and led 35-30 at halftime. Scott made a driving layup with 15:33 to go that gave UM a 44-36 lead, and the crowd went berserk. But then Johnson was called for a foul, Scott lost the ball on a fast break, McKinney Jones lost it under the basket, and Barnes scored nine of North Carolina’s next 11 points to give the Tar Heels a 47-46 lead. It was their first lead since 10-9 early on.

The momentum shifted during that stretch, and the Hurricanes never recovered.